Song of the Crimson Lotus
by Shedauwz
Summary: One grew up with everything, the other - with nothing. Both of them are completely different personalities, both in appearance and character. Yet, when they meet, one certain similarity between the two surfaces and shapes their future through the notes of her guitar and the lyrics of his heart.
1. First Verse: A Glance

_**A/N**: Yo! So here's the long awaited remake of **Rock Your World**! Sorry that it took longer than I said it would, planning this shit took time and the holidays certainly took their toll on me *chuckles* In any case, I honestly believe this turned out better than the original, but I'll let you be the judge of that, what do you say?_

_This was supposed to be longer... but I didn't want to make the first chapter ten thousand words long *grimaces* that would be annoying to read, wouldn't it?_

_By the way, even if it's kinda late, **Merry Christmas!**_

* * *

_Major thanks to **Roxas.97** for betaing this! He's a bro._

* * *

_**Song of the Crimson Lotus**  
_

* * *

_**First Verse: A Glance**  
_

* * *

_Nobody runs. Nobody runs. Nobody runs or makes it out alive.  
Nobody runs. Nobody runs. Nobody runs or makes it out alive._

Loud rock music blared out and combined with the lyrics, reverberating and echoing throughout a small joint in Magnolia. The fusion between the musicians playing and the fans' cheers was simply amazing. It created something perfect, serene, and peaceful in a way. The blond man standing on stage grinned happily as he continued to sing out the lyrics while his band mates played their respective instruments.

Two people stood in the middle of the large crowd, both of them bobbing their heads together with the rhythm. One of them had spiky pink hair while the other had spiky black. They glanced at each other and grinned expectantly as the vocalist on stage continued with the song. The two friends both raised their fists in the air as they sung the lyrics together with everyone else present.

_Hearts beating faster, running to the front lines  
Nobody runs or makes it out alive  
Look up to heaven as it rains from the sky  
Nobody runs or makes it out alive_

A woman with long straight red hair stood in front of the stage, listening to the music intently as a smile formed on her lips. Her eyes were closed and her arms folded below her chest, she was enjoying the little moment of happiness that she received. True to every word, the band that was playing, Phantom, really did deserve to be called one of the best in Fiore. She sighed tiredly, thinking that the surprise concert Phantom decided to perform in right before their tour was just what she needed to lighten up her life after all the stress she has been through lately. She hums the tune the band was using as the blond haired vocalist continued with what was left of the song.

_Because we did it for the glory, the glory.  
Only the glory.  
We live inside a story, it's a story.  
All for the glory._

She opened her eyes and raised her head to look at the blond when the song had ended. A few guitar riffs followed as his band members kept playing while he watched at the crowd with his bright blue eyes, a smile formed on his face as he panted slightly, "It's damn good to be back!" He shouted through the microphone, erecting a scream of approval from the audience, "But as amazing as this is, everything has its end, doesn't it?" He asked, with considerably less enthusiasm than before and that didn't go unnoticed by the crowd who came to listen to Phantom's music.

The redhead couldn't help but smile as the crowd started chanting 'encore' multiple times in an attempt to make their source of entertainment do their job once more. Her smile changed into a chuckle when she saw the surprised blond's face before he turned to his band members and grinned dumbly at them. He stared at his band's lead guitar player, a black haired man who, surprisingly, had red eyes and whose face simply shouted that he was mirthless… or it would have if the grin plastered on his face would have been invisible. The black haired man nodded towards the blond, making his grin widen as he raised his hand and showed him three fingers.

The redhead instantly recognized what they were intending to do and was about to immerse herself in their last song when she felt something vibrate in her jeans' left pocket. She 'tsked' sharply before taking out her phone. Pressing the green button, she pressed the phone next to her ear, "What?" She asked with annoyance.

"Oi, Erza, hasn't that gig ended yet? Get the fuck back home or you'll bitch about work again tomorrow." A tired voice sounded through her phone's receiver, closely followed by a yawn.

The woman, now known as Erza, groaned over dramatically before seemingly glaring holes into nothingness while thinking of a suitable response for the caller. The reactions of the people surrounding her went unnoticed as her dark aura seemed to engulf the whole surrounding area. Even the band that was singing seemed to notice it but that only resulted in the vocalist laughing his ass off. Erza sighed as she thought about what he said and, she had to admit, the bastard was right. That didn't mean she wouldn't get back at him for saying that she 'bitches.' Hey, you can't blame her, a woman needs her beauty sleep, after all, "First, Cobra, I don't bitch; I state what the fuck's wrong with the world… and you, for that matter. Second, fuck you; I'm coming back right now." She said with a growl and hung up before quickly turning around and making her way through the crowd, forcefully pushing away anyone who was too stupid to not notice a lady coming through.

Stomping through the crowd, the redhead accidentally bumped shoulders with someone rather painfully and was about to flip them off but that was instantly rejected when she locked eyes with the person. Spiky pink hair, onyx-black pointy eyes and sharp features. For a split second the two watched each other before Erza was pushed away by the sheer insanity that was the crowd around them, thrashing around along with the hard rhythm the band started playing.

As she continued walking through the crazed people she kept thinking about that pink haired guy. She felt as if she had seen him somewhere before or that, in the very least, he resembled someone who she had known or simply seen. That was intriguing since she didn't care much for anyone other than her friends or the people for whom she held respect… which weren't many.

She sighed and shrugged before zipping up her black jacket. The redhead shivered slightly when she got outside and the cold winter's breeze smashed against her cheeks. She looked around and growled while kicking some snow in annoyance, '_You could've come to at least pick me up, asshole!_'

The pink haired man kept staring at the retreating figure of the redhead in a daze. He didn't know why, but her hair and overall appearance just mesmerized him. He felt a hand on his shoulder but kept his gaze locked on where he thought she went, hoping to maybe see her again and note her appearance for future reference. Can you blame him?

"Natsu? Natsu!" A voice called from behind him, waking him from his thoughts as he shook his head and looked back at his raven haired friend, "You alright? What happened?" He asked and Natsu brushed it off with a wave of his hand.

"Just some rude bitch, don't worry about it." He said with a quiet sigh, making his friend chuckle slightly before they both refocused on the band that was playing. They grinned at each other before they joined the crowd in singing the lyrics they all knew by heart.

_So we march to the drums of the damned as we come.  
Watch it burn in the sun, we are numb!_

_We are young; we have heart_  
_Born in this world as it all falls apart._  
_We are strong, we don't belong_  
_Born in this world as it all falls apart._

Both Natsu and his friend thrashed around to the rhythm, following the motions the other people in the crowd took before the song reached its climax, "Get ready for the last part!" The blond vocalist shouted and the crowd roared in affirmation before he continued with the last chorus. Soon after the song had finished and the band that played bowed to their fans respectfully. The vocalist laughed loudly before he graced the fans with a huge grin, "Thank you all for coming!" He shouted, "We at Phantom here hope to see you guys again!" He screamed one last time before the lights in the joint went out, signaling the end of their performance.

The pinkette cringed slightly as he went outside and was met with the cold winter's air. He cursed under his breath as he tried to button his coat. He wore a black coat that had a collar that ended just above his jaw and a white scaly scarf covered his neck from the cold breeze. The coat ended at his mid-thigh where black skinny pants were and were tucked into black high-top sneakers which were white at the foot. He took a black beanie cap out of his coat's pocked and literally shoved it on his head, leaving a few strands of his pink locks to cover his eyes. He looked around and 'tsked' sharply, '_Where the hell is Gray, it's freezing out here_.'

As if on cue, his raven haired friend exited the place and nodded in his direction. Gray wore a black coat, similar to Natsu's, and grey jeans with simple black shoes, "Come on already, I'm freezing my ass off." Natsu growled in annoyance and Gray only chuckled at his expense.

"That's what you get for not dressing properly. And what's with that hat? You look like a hipster." Grey mocked with a grin to which the pinkette only rolled his eyes.

"Shut the fuck up. This thing keeps my head warm and makes sure I don't go retarded from the cold like you have." Natsu said and, ignoring the finger Gray sent his way, tucked at his scarf before taking out a pack of cigarettes from his jeans' pocket and placing a cigarette in his mouth. He quickly lit the cigarette and exhaled smoke before placing the pack back in his pocket and motioning for Gray to follow him.

"But man that gig was awesome." Gray said with a smile on his face to which Natsu only nodded.

"What I wouldn't give to be in Sting's shoes. Can you even imagine the raw… I dunno, excitement he must get when singing to that many people? It's unreal." He said with a smile on his face while exhaling more smoke.

"It really is." Gray said with a nod, "Speaking of being in Sting's shoes, how is your father treating you?" The brunette asked, making his pink haired friend groan loudly.

"He's honestly starting to annoy the crap outta me. I mean, come on, how can he plan my 'future,' as he calls it, and expect me to follow it to the letter if I don't want what's in store? Bullshit I tell ya. Complete and utter bullshit." Natsu replied in annoyance.

Gray chuckled at his friend's expense, making the pinkette glare daggers at him before he remembered something devious and a grin formed on his face, "So… how're things with my cousin after you guys went to that café?" He asked, struggling to suppress a laugh when Gray almost did a double take at his words.

"So it was you who called me!" Gray growled with narrowed eyes, making the pinkette chuckle slightly.

"Well duh, course it was me." Natsu said with a sly grin, "So, how'd it go? Is Lucy easy to hit on?" The pinkette questioned while poking the brunette with his elbow.

"I didn't hit on her damn it!" Gray yelled defensively which resulted in the pinkette laughing loudly, "Why the hell did you do that anyway?!"

Natsu shrugged, "She asked me to help her with math and I figured you could help her more seeing as you're an IT geek and all… besides, thought I'd give the two of you some alone time." He teased while hugging himself and pushing his lips forward as he moved his hips at an awkward angle, "You l-l-l-like her after all."

Gray groaned loudly as he clenched his fist before sighing tiredly, "Hardy har har." He simply replied as he walked past Natsu, making the pinkette frown slightly before a sly grin appeared on his face. Seconds later the brunette felt something cold smash against the back of his head and growled in annoyance. He turned around and saw Natsu grinning at him while he held a snowball in one of his hands, "You son of a…" Gray growled as he lunged at the pinkette who openly laughed at the raven haired man's expense.

In the middle of the night, two adults were having a snow fight. This honestly wasn't that unusual in Magnolia.

* * *

A man, about twenty three years old, was lying on a couch lazily; his left hand supported his head as he flipped through the TV channels, yawning from time to time because of the sheer lack of good television. He placed the remote on the ground as he took an opened beer can. He took the cigarette from his mouth with two free fingers and took a large sip of the beverage, yawning tiredly as he placed the can back on the ground.

He was a slim man of average height. He had spiky dark red hair that was styled upwards aside from the tuft covering the middle of his forehead and two bangs framing his face. He had multiple piercings on his ears and on his left brow. The man wore a simple greyish V-neck shirt, black skinny jeans and plain white socks.  
He took the cigarette from his mouth and shook the ashes into the ashtray before inhaling from it and grabbing the remote. He flipped through the channels and 'tsked' sharply when he found some sort of romance soap opera. No way in hell was he going to watch this shit. He figured to check the music channel and groaned after doing so. He managed to tune into the channel just after some random song ended and a playlist of the ten next songs to be played showed up, '_It's all pop! What the fuck is this world coming to!?_' he growled silently before he switched back to the show he watched a few moments ago and threw the remote aside, growling again when a commercial started and cursing at himself for throwing the remote so far that he'd have to move from the comfortable position he was in if he wanted to reach the remote

The sound of a key being pushed into his apartment door's lock caught his attention and he lifted himself up before looking behind him. The door was kicked open violently and he focused his black orbs on Erza who was standing in the doorway, glaring daggers at him, "Yo, Erza." He greeted with a wave of his hand, "How was the…" He was interrupted when a big and almost icy snowball connected with his face, sending the man flying off of the couch he was lying on. He groaned loudly before wiping away the snow from his face, "Why the fuck did you do that?!"

The woman stomped to his direction while maintaining her stern gaze, "Three reasons, Cobra. First, you said I was bitching. Second, you didn't pick me up after the show. Third," She growled out the last word as she lifted the man up by his shirt, "why the fuck are you smoking inside?! You know I hate that stench!"

Cobra rolled his eyes, "You smoke yourself and you hate that stench? Woman, that's weird." He said before she dropped him back on the floor, "Hey!" He whined with a hiss when he felt his butt sting.

Erza huffed in annoyance before taking the can of beer Cobra was drinking and emptied it in one go. Her face twisted into one of disgust before she threw the now empty can at the man who barely managed to raise his arm up to keep the can from hitting his face, "This is horrendous. It's beyond me how you can drink this shitty brand of beer."

Cobra just shrugged at the statement, "To each his own, I guess." He said as he plopped down on the floor and crossed his arms beneath his head, "Now, to your accusations. First, you technically were bi…" He was cut off when he noticed the glare she sent his way and simply coughed, figuring to skip the first part if he wanted to keep his head on his shoulders, "Second, My car's out of gas. Third, this is my friggin' apartment so I do what I want damn it!"

"That maybe so, but I live here too! Try to be considerate you ass!" The woman growled, making Cobra roll his eyes and mutter some insults under his breath, causing Erza's glare to intensify before the red haired man held both of his arms up defensively. Noticing Erza starting to take off her jacket, Cobra figured she had cooled off and decided it would be a good time to start a decent conversation, "So… how was the show?"

Erza kicked off her shoes and glanced at him as she assumed a thinking pose with her index finger on her chin, "It was pretty good. The atmosphere of the band seemed pretty decent and the fans were screaming like there's no tomorrow. Pretty typical of Phantom." She explained as she reached into her jacket's pocket to take out some smokes.

"It's hard to believe that all of those guys are in their thirties, eh?" Cobra mused to himself and Erza nodded as a response.

The redhead woman glanced at the other with a curious expression, "By the way, why weren't you there?"

Cobra groaned loudly in annoyance, "Believe me, I wanted to. Laxus made me drive him around town cause, apparently, his car broke down."

The man turned to Erza and noticed her blank stare, "Didn't you say you were out of gas?"

Cobra nodded, "I am now." He said with a sigh, making the woman frown.

"Why didn't you get refill then?" She asked plainly.

"I only noticed I was almost out when I got back here. Too lazy to go to the station to buy some, I'll do that shit tomorrow." He replied and eased back into the couch. Cobra hissed when he suddenly felt Erza bumping him on the head.

"No, you're going to refill now." She said bluntly, causing the man to glare at her.

"What? Why?"

"Because you're taking me to work tomorrow." Erza announced, making Cobra's jaw drop slightly before he regained his composure and his glare intensified.

"Oh hell no! I'm too lazy to do anything now and, besides, I'm sleeping in tomorrow!" He announced and was about to say something else when another bump to his head shut him up.

"Yes, yes you are going to go to the station now. And no, you are not going to be sleeping in tomorrow because you'll be taking me to work at six A.M. Consider it punishment for smoking in-doors." Erza concluded and turned around to the balcony, completely missing the finger Cobra shot her way… or pretended to, if the grin plastered on her face had a say in the matter.

Erza walked into the balcony and closed the glass door behind her. She took the cigarette pack out of her pocket and took out a cigarette. She lit it and inhaled deeply as she placed the lighted inside the pack and the pack back in her pocket. She leaned on the balcony's railing and supported herself with her forearms as she exhaled grey smoke and stared at the city below her. She sighed tiredly when she noticed some guy wobble through some people with a bottle in his hand.

Her mind unwillingly drifted into her past. Images of a blue haired man who had a tattoo on the right side of his face popped into her memory. A man she hated to remember and couldn't let herself forget. She couldn't believe she still held feelings for him after all he did to her and Heaven, their now non-existent band. The redhead shook her head furiously, trying her best to block the memories and images invading her subconscious as she took in a deep breath of fresh air.

She heard the balcony's door open and glanced behind her. She saw as Cobra entered, a cigarette and a lighter in his hand as he closed the door behind him and joined her for a smoke. He looked at her and nodded to her direction slightly, "What're you thinking about?" He asked and she turned to look at the street below them.

She chuckled humorlessly, "About the past, mostly." She admitted and the man's face visibly morphed into a frown.

An awkward silence ensued between the two for a few moments before Cobra spoke, "I wonder what's going to happen. With the band, I mean." He said silently and Erza sighed quietly at the words.

"I don't know." She said honestly, "Though, I bet we'll find a vocalist sooner or later."

"Better sooner." Cobra added and Erza nodded, "Though I find it hard to believe we'll find someone as good as _him_." He added and his eyes slightly widened when he realized what he said, '_Oh shit._'

Erza scowled slightly before her hair covered her eyes as she threw away what was left of her cigarette angrily. She turned around to leave when Cobra's hand landed on her shoulder, "Hey… sorry for bringing that up."

The redhead shook her head, "Don't worry about it, Cobra, I'm fine." She admitted and turned her eyes to meet his, "Now, I'm going to take a bath. You go to the damned station to get some gas." She said and chuckled as he grimaced.

Erza entered the apartment and marched through the living room until she reached the bathroom and locked herself inside. She went towards the bathtub and let the water fill it, carefully checking its temperature to make sure it fit her needs. When that was done she looked at herself through the mirror and frowned slightly when she noticed how frizzy her red hair was from the moisture outside. She ruffled her own hair and shook her head furiously, barely suppressing a laugh when witnessing how ridiculous she looked with her hair standing up in every direction.

The redhead huffed before she took off her black T-shirt and unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the ground and freeing her large breasts as they gave a slight bounce when liberated. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she took her breasts in her hands and took a feel, '_Is it just me or are they getting even bigger…?_' She wondered when she thought that they weighed more than they did the last time she checked.

Shrugging, Erza let go of her breasts and unzipped her jeans and let them slide to the ground. She kicked the jeans away and slid her white panties down and threw them near the washing machine. She glanced at the mirror one more time and smiled proudly at her body before going to the bathtub and carefully placing one of her legs into the steaming water. She hissed silently when she felt the hot liquid seep into her skin before a slight blush covered her cheeks as her skin got accustomed to the water's temperature. She lifted her other leg and carefully sat down and let the hot water engulf her being. Erza sighed in content as she felt the water warm her up and make her drowsy.

She quirked an eyebrow when she heard the apartment's front door open and closed. She smiled victoriously; making Cobra do something when he's in lazy mode is no easy task. '_I should resort to 'snowball-to-the-face' tactics more often._' She thought with a mischievous grin.

Erza closes her eyes as she lets the warmth of the steaming water envelop her entire body while she slumps down into the bathtub. The redhead slips into her memories, the times when Heaven used to play live and the times that she still considered to be the happiest in her life.

_"Promise you'll never leave me."_

_"I won't."_

Her eyes shot open before she frowned and stood up from the bathtub. She grabbed a nearby sponge and some liquid soap. She poured a large amount of it on the sponge before throwing the plastic soap bottle aside and proceeding to rub her body rather than drowning in those depressing memories. She scrubbed her arms and shoulders, between her breasts, her stomach and thighs.

_"Because I love you."_

Her frown deepened before she growled quietly and lifted the sponge above her head. Erza squeezed it as hard as it could and closed her eyes as soap trailed from her hair down her body.

She was biased. She knew the memories were of the best moments in her life, yet one could say that they led to one of the most disastrous events in her life. She wanted and didn't want to remember those events at the same time.

Opening her eyes, a sudden thought of the pink haired guy she saw back at Phantom's live suddenly popped in her head. She didn't know why it did, but it was certainly a relief from all the depressing shit she's been remembering lately. She placed the pinkette in her mind's eye and examined how he looked. Pink hair that was spiky in every direction with a few large bangs almost completely covering the left side of his face and a few gaps between the strands of hair that showed his left eye; the onyx-black eyes that stared at her in confusion when she accidentally bumped into him; his mirthless expression when she disappeared from his sight.

She hummed to herself in confusion, trying to figure out why she was focusing on a person she had seen for the first time in her life. Cobra and Laxus rated girls by their looks all the time, couldn't she do the same with guys? Of course she could. Thinking back on it, she did find the pinkette rather cute.

And with that thought she slumped back into the bathtub lazily, '_No, I'm not that desperate._'

* * *

_So..._ _thoughts?_

_Songs used: **Hollywood Undead - Glory; Hollywood Undead - Young;  
**_


	2. Second Verse: A Song Left Unfinished

_**A/N: **Yooo! What's up? I know it's been a long time, but life has its ways of biting you in the ass. What can you do? Anyway, I have to say, I'm really surprised by the reception the first chapter got. I have to thank every one of you for the favorites/follows and reviews. Seriously, you guys rock. I hope I can continue keeping every one of you interested in this story._

_And, as always, any and all feedback is appreciated, be it a simple 'it's good' or a ten-thousand word review that criticizes my work. Seriously, I love criticism I'm a friggin' sucker for it. That sounds rather wrong, but... blah blah blah, shut up and let the readers enjoy or hate your story. Yeah..._

* * *

_**Song of the Crimson Lotus**_

* * *

_**Second Verse: A Song Left Unfinished**_

* * *

He screamed. He screamed his lungs out, following the pace of the guitars playing and the drums bellowing in the background. It looked as if it was such a simple task, yet so complex at the same time. Correcting the pitch of your voice to match the guitars, making sure your voice doesn't crack or that you don't destroy your own throat or vocal chords in the process. Above all, making sure you didn't forget or mix up the words you were supposed to usher in your moment of glory. He had done it perfectly. He had memorized every single word. No, he didn't memorize them, he knew it all by heart; the music he wrote, adored and loved. It was all in his mind, heart and soul. He watched as the fans screamed the lyrics with him, the occasional occurrence of someone crying due to the intensity and emotion of his words. This brought a smile to his face; nothing was more gratifying than knowing that the things you sung were touching people's hearts, making them show their actual emotions and keeping them from the mental anguish of their own emotionless facades.

He continued to sing those lyrics. Those lyrics that erected emotions no one else's words would. Eventually, he finished, sighing in pent up relief that he succeeded in his task. He became the best. The best the world had to offer. Later on he noticed it - something was wrong. Even though the song was finished, the loud and rather smashing guitar playing didn't cease its onslaught. No, the sound gradually intensified until he had to cover his ears. It was getting too loud, way too loud. He screamed again, only this time the lyrics weren't the ones he knew but rather the ones the fear that had collected inside of him made him roar out. He was drowning in his own music; he was feeling his life withering away. He didn't want this. He didn't want to die from the music he poured his heart out to create, to mend wounds, to help people, to save them from their agony. But even after all his efforts; all he was able to accomplish was dying in the process of creation. Was this really worth it? All the blood, sweat and tears he shed to assure his legacy would be swept away in a single tsunami of hate and misery.

Was this really his fate? To slowly fade away, alone, during an orchestrated song that he didn't create nor want?

His body shot forward, making the covers slide down his body as his rather muscular build was shaking madly. His pink hair was messed up in every direction, indicating that he had been struggling and moving around in his sleep. The pinkette panted heavily; sweat covering his body as his wide eyes looked around frantically. He put a hand on his face, trying his best to calm himself. He brought a second hand to his face, leaning down and supporting himself with his elbows on his legs. His panting had never stopped; it only intensified at the thought of the nightmare he just had.

'_What the fuck was that…?_' Natsu thought in desperation, not comprehending the meaning behind his dream. He realized that it had shown what would have happened if he continued to live this way. Living while following someone else's instructions would only lead him to misery; he understood this, yet he didn't know what to do about it. He was stuck in a dark place and he had no idea what to do to turn the lights on.

His eyes widened even more when he heard music reverberate from his left. Music of such a structure that resembled the one from his dreams, yet it was different, it was calm. Not literally, but still; it was calmer than his dream was.

_So watch my chest heave as this last breath leaves me.  
I am trying to be what you're dying to see._

Natsu turned to the left and saw his phone's screen shining. He didn't know what time it was, but he guessed it was still morning due to the night's sky visible through the many windows that adorned his rather large room.

_I feel like "Fuck man, can't take this anymore. This heart, break this."  
This is life that's so thankless, how could he just forsake us?_

He stretched his arm out and picked up his phone. Looking at it, he noticed it was five A.M. and his alarm clock was still playing. He wanted to turn it off, he really did, but he couldn't. He didn't know why, but his fingers wouldn't move with the thought of making this piece of music cease its playing.

_Racist he makes us, hate us, he gave us.  
Nothing but no trust, and I am so fucked up._

He smiled fondly, remembering the authors of this masterpiece. He was at their live yesterday, he remembered it clearly; the sight of Sting, Rogue and Gajeel singing while Bacchus played the drums. It calmed him down slightly before erecting a fear inside him again. He knew that being a star in the public eye wasn't all glamour, fame and money. It had a downside, a really dark downside.

_So let this gun bond us, let's hide by this lust.  
And once we are just dust, he'll know that he loved us!_

He had a question in his mind, a question he had no answer to and couldn't think of one for the life of him. If he tried to go through with his dream and actually achieved the status that Phantom had… would he be able to deal with the emotional stress that followed? Or would he be subject to the stress, pain and sorrow that closely and surely followed?

_Let it all burn! I will burn first!  
God I've tried, am I lost in your eyes?_

_Just let me burn! It's what I deserve!_  
_God I've lied, am I lost in your eyes?_

Natsu allowed himself to listen to the rest of the song, all the while thinking about the nightmare and its meaning. He chuckled to himself humorlessly as the song slowly reached its ending; why was he fretting over things that were out of his control? Stardom was a dream to him, a faraway dream that he could not reach with things as they were now. He was living a life that was out of his control; everything he did was monitored and reflected upon. He could not do a single thing he wanted to; everything he did was what someone else required of him.

_So watch my wings burn as they burn in the fire...  
I'll scatter the ashes, No need for the choir._

_Just let me burn_

He sighed tiredly when the song finished and was replayed again as the alarm set on his phone continued to go off. The pinkette had no idea why his alarm clock was set on a Friday, the only day his tutors decided to give him a holiday. He sluggishly pressed a finger against the touchscreen, effectively turning the alarm clock off before he leaned back and plopped back down on his bed, bouncing slightly upwards from the soft surface. He sprawled his arms out and unintentionally made his phone drop down on the floor. He glanced to the side, his mouth slightly open. His eyes stared the phone apathetically, watching as its screen shone before slowly the light faded into darkness, setting the phone into power-saving mode.

The pinkette furrowed his eyebrows slightly when the way he woke up flashed in his memory yet again. Just like with the phone, he faded away in his dream. He sung his song, was dropped and slowly lost his light in the darkness. Natsu sighed at the thought before tilting his head so he could look at the ceiling.

He was tired, so much so that he started to find everything rather dreary. He woke up this early in the morning and he knew he was dead tired, but he couldn't go back to sleep. Not minding the dream he had, he never could go back to sleep right after waking up. He still didn't know why he had set the alarm clock on a Friday. Maybe he forgot? A habit of always setting the damned thing every single day for his life must have made him set it to ring during the day he had off.

Natsu groaned loudly, trying to push the dream that plagued him to the farthest reaches of his subconscious. Even after doing that, his thoughts still lingered on his own future. He slowly raised his arm and looked at his palm. Was he really capable of doing what he wanted to do? Was he capable of breaking through the artificial life his father had created for him? Was he able to create his own future through the music he loved and was dying to create? He wanted the world to know him; he wanted it to know Natsu Dragneel for who he really was.

He sighed as he brought his hand to his forehead and ran it down his face, groaning loudly afterwards. He leaned up slowly, supporting his weight with his arms, before he shook his head to get the sleepiness out of his system. The pinkette wondered if anyone in the estate was awake at this hour because he was, quite literally, dying for a cup of coffee. Yawning, he shifted to the side and let his feet touch the cold floor. His body shook slightly before looking around and noticing that one of the windows was open. A cool breeze blew through the small gap and managed to reach Natsu, causing him to shiver once more.

He sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose in distaste before looking down and noticing how sweaty he was, '_Damn, I bet someone realized how bad I needed a shower and opened the window to let some fresh air in._' He thought with a sweatdrop before standing up. He went to the window and grabbed the handle before slowly closing it. Shivering again, he slowly wobbled to the door at the far end of his room and opened it before entering and flicking on the light switch to his side. The man had to instantly close his eyes as the lights flicked on in danger of being blinded by the sudden flash. Groaning in annoyance, he wobbled to where he thought was the sink and grasped the faucet. He let the cold water run before he splashed some on his face, almost instantly feeling better, even if only a bit. He finally opened his eyes and let his onyx orbs get slowly accustomed to the bright light.

After he felt like he regained most of his vision, Natsu slipped off his underwear and threw it near the washer. He shivered yet again, getting annoyed by his own inability to cope with the cold. He went into the shower cabin and closed it behind him. Letting the water run, he raised his head and let the hot liquid fall on his face and down his body. He sunk deep into his own thoughts, trying to figure out what the hell he was supposed to be doing this early in the morning. He could always pester Gray, but the guy would probably bust Natsu's face in if he woke him up this early, not that he'd let him, obviously. Natsu chuckled; he'll wait a few hours before annoying the shit out of the brunette. Since, after all, what are friends for if not for making each other's lives miserable?

* * *

_Around half an hour later…_

Natsu exited his bathroom and his eyes widened slightly when he saw a woman standing in his room, bringing him coffee. She turned around, her purple eyes glancing at Natsu curiously before she smiled, causing the pinkette to blush when he realized that he was wearing nothing other than his boxers. He shook his head to get him out of his daze before quickly dashing towards the chair near his desk where his clothing was. As quick as he could, he slipped on the grey sweatpants he wore at home and glared holes at the woman.

"I would appreciate it if you knocked next time, Kaya." Natsu said with a sigh before taking his white shirt and slipping it on himself.

The woman chuckled, "Why? It's not like I haven't seen you naked before, Natsu." She said, causing the pinkette to sigh at her easy-going character. Her black hair was tied in a long ponytail that went all the way down to her legs with two antennae-like strands sticking out from the top of her head and sloping backwards with an orange ribbon keeping it in place. She wore a simple pair of black jeans and a blue T-shirt. She just woke up, Natsu guessed, since she wasn't wearing the maid outfit most of the female workers in the estate wore.

"That's exactly why I want you to knock next time. The one occasion during which you caught me just when I got out of the shower was enough." Natsu said tiredly while running a hand down his pink locks. He sat down on his chair before glancing at his own personal maid who brought the cup of coffee to his table.

"Were you having a nightmare?" Kaya asked, making the pinkette's eyes widen slightly.

"What… how did you…?" He asked, somewhat taken aback.

The black haired woman watched the pinkette, concern obvious in her eyes, "You screamed in your sleep, Natsu." She said quietly, her eyes never leaving the man's onyx orbs, "I had just woken up and heard you."

He gulped down the saliva that had collected in his mouth uneasily before nodding, "I think you can say that. Or I just developed a sixth sense, who knows?" He chuckled humorlessly with a shrug before taking a sip of the coffee Kaya brought. He gulped down a few times and sighed in content before nodding his thanks to her.

The woman sighed, "You should really get some sleep. Overworking yourself won't do you any good."

"I would that I could. You see, if I keep screaming while sleeping it won't only be me who won't get any sleep." Natsu replied, a smirk covering his features when he noticed the rather annoyed expression the maid bore. He always did like messing with her, although he knew that it was obviously wrong to make fun of her overly concerned nature.

"Natsu, you…" She growled, making the pinkette raise his arms defensively while chuckling.

"Hey, I'm just joking!" He yelled in mock fear, a smile forming over his lips all the while, "Look, you of all people know I can't sleep after just waking up. I'll go to bed extra early tonight, okay?"

Kaya rubbed her temples in annoyance, "Do you want any breakfast?" She asked, causing the pinkette to nod in affirmation.

"Aye, anything will do. And could you get me another cup of coffee?" Natsu asked while showing her the already empty cup.

She nodded, "I'll bring it to your room in fifteen minutes." The woman said while she went towards his room's exit. The pinkette kept his eyes on her as she left, noticing her smile at him as she exited and closed the door behind her. Natsu couldn't help but smile; he had known her ever since he was six and he was extremely glad that his mother decided to appoint him a personal maid herself. Kaya was thirty six, but just by looking at her you'd think she was around Natsu's age. That's what sometimes got to him seeing as she liked to joke around quite often... in the more adult-ish area, although it never went past jokes and Natsu was relieved about that. After all, who the hell would want to do _something_ with a person who you viewed as an older sister? He figured Kaya must have considered him as a younger brother and thought the same. Well, he hoped she did, at least, '_Though, who knows what that woman could think up._' He thought with a sweatdrop, preferring not to delve into that train of thought.

The pinkette shook his head, trying to get the memory of his mother out of his head, lest he became depressed out of the blue. He opened up his laptop and turned it on, thinking about how he needed more coffee all the while. It was strange, really. He couldn't get back to sleep after waking up, but he couldn't become fully awake without drinking coffee either. It was stupid. Nightmares were stupid. Waking up was stupid. Mornings were stupid. Lack of sleep was stupid. Everything concerning not sleeping was fucking stupid. That's what he thought, at least.

As his laptop finally loaded, the first thing he did was check his Skype. He smirked seeing that Gray Fullbuster was the only one online at this hour. He had a hunch what the brunette was doing, but he had to know either way. He pressed the green call button and waited for a few moments before the annoying sound Skype made stopped ringing and the image of a shirtless and rather tired Gray appeared in his screen. Gray yawned and rubbed his eyelids before focusing on who called him, his eyes narrowing upon seeing Natsu's grin.

"The hell do you…" He began but was interrupted by his own yawn, effectively causing a chuckle to escape Natsu's throat.

"That's what I'm supposed to be asking. The hell are you…" He checked the time on his computer, "…doing at six o'clock in the morning?"

"Studying." He said and ruffled his own hair, "Well, I was, anyway."

Natsu quirked an eyebrow, "Don't you have a free day today? Why the hell are you studying?"

Gray groaned over dramatically in annoyance, "I was supposed to, but the damned professor called me when I got back yesterday night and told me that I have to come in and that there's a test due or some shit like that." He said and couldn't help but growl when he noticed Natsu trying to stifle a laugh, "Yeah, laugh it up, jackass."

The pinkette did as he was told and burst out laughing, ignoring the glare sent that practically radiated from his monitor, "What? You told me to laugh it up!" He said between chuckles, unable to help himself, "Shit luck Gray, that's who you are. Bad luck Brian can't even compete. I swear, I should create a meme in your honor. 'Shit luck Gray, the guy who can't get a break from studies and will probably be left for a second year due to looking like a fucking idiot!'" Natsu mocked, grinning maliciously at the brunette who was almost shaking in anger by this point.

"I'm so going to kick you in your damned teeth the next time I see you." Gray growled.

"No! Anything but that! Please! I can't have you damaging my pretty face!" The pink haired man exclaimed in fake fear while holding his arms up defensively.

Gray gave a dry laugh in response, "Pretty face? Please, you look like Robert Pattinson after a facelift from Edward scissorhands."

"Now THAT was mean." Natsu replied while staring at the screen blankly, "How… what…" He facepalmed, "How the fuck did you come up with that? I mean, damn, even Lyon can't compare to the shit you sometimes say, which is actually pretty fucked up." The pinkette replied. Both parties started glaring at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter, both trying their best to not wake anyone in their respective homes up.

"Anyway." Natsu said as he stopped laughing, "You want to play some games before…" He was interrupted when a knock on his door caught his attention, "Yeah?"

"Natsu, your father is calling for you." Kaya's voice echoed through his room, making the pinkette groan in annoyance. He glanced back at his computer apologetically, noticing that Gray had nodded and Natsu smiled weakly in his direction before closing his laptop. Great, a chat with his father; just what he needed.

The pinkette stood up, grabbed a jumped that he almost instantly put on and left his room. Upon exiting, he saw the black haired maid staring at him curiously, "Natsu, breakfast will be ready in around five minutes." She informed and Natsu nodded his thanks before making his way to his father's study. He pushed his hands inside his pockets and walked lazily through the many corridors of his father's estate, greeting anyone he met on the way. The pinkette had made a note to memorize each worker's name since not doing so would imply that he felt superior to them, which he did not. Natsu never thought that the people working here were inferior to him in any way, he was just lucky to be born to rich parents. He chuckled inwardly, surprised with himself for even thinking like that.

He yawned tiredly as he made multiple turns through the corridors of the estate. He never knew why his father liked this place so much; in his opinion, it was way too large. If it was your first time here you could get lost rather easily. Yawning once again and getting annoyed by his lack of sleep, Natsu walked up a flight of stairs into a large hall-like room which took up two floors of the four story building he lived in. Yeah, talk about too big. The room had a long red carpet leading to a set of large double doors, combined with multiple stone pillars that escorted the carpet from its sides.

The pinkette walked towards the double doors and stopped himself, making sure to not look like the mess that he was. He ruffled his own hair before almost gluing the sticking out strands of hair to his head. He chuckled quietly when he realized that even trying to accomplish that task was rather stupid seeing how wild his hair was. He glanced down and noticed something that made him groan loudly; he was barefooted. Explains why he was cold this whole time. Turning to the side, Natsu noticed a person wearing a suit carrying a tray filled with plates and other utensils. Noticing the man's black hair and stubble, Natsu instantly remembered his name.

"Mornin' Mathias." He greeted the man with a wave, causing him to stop and glance at the pinkette curiously before a smile covered his features.

"Good morning, young master." He replied courteously, making the pinkette scowl at his words.

"Mathias… how many times have I told you to stop calling me that? It's not like you guys are my servants or something." Natsu said with a sweatdrop and the black haired man chuckled in response.

"I am sorry, young… Natsu." He corrected himself, making the pinkette nod before he pointed to the slippers the butler was wearing. Why was a butler wearing slippers? He had no clue, but it sure as hell could save him now.

"Hey… can you lend me your slippers for a few?" He said before raising his foot and showing that he was without any footwear, "I kinda forgot to put mine on and I really don't want to meet my old man looking like… well, you know." He said and the man almost instantly, as if on instinct, nodded. He placed the tray he held on a nearby cupboard and took his slippers off, giving them to the pinkette, "Thanks." Natsu said with a nod as he slipped them on, "I'll be back in a few moments." Natsu said as he walked to the double doors once more. He pushed them open and was greeted by the sight of his father's back and the massive heaps of books littering the shelves of the two floor large study. Seriously, what was with his father and large rooms, this was just way too grandiose, even by his standards. The pinkette could probably fill this place with five hundred people and there'd still be room for a dance floor. Why was he thinking about organizing a party? Again, he had no clue.

"Natsu." His father's voice rung out, causing the pinkette to stiffen up at the seriousness of the man's tone. The pink haired man stood a few feet away from his father's desk that was in the middle of the study. He stared at his father's back, obviously annoyed by the fact that the older man didn't even bother gracing him with a single glance; if the glare to the older man's back was any indication, that is. The older man, Isaac Dragneel, was slightly taller than Natsu and had medium length slicked back crimson red hair. Natsu glanced at the large clock hung on one of the study's walls; six fifteen in the morning. Afterwards, Natsu looked back at his father and sweatdropped at the fact that the man was wearing a suit so early in the morning, '_Friggin' workaholic._'

"Good morning, father." Natsu answered respectfully, bowing slightly even if the man wasn't even looking at him, "Kaya informed me that you needed me. Is something wrong?" The pinkette asked, although he had a pretty good idea what this was going to be about.

"I think you know why, Natsu." Isaac said seriously, turning his head to glance at his son from the corner of his eye. Natsu cringed slightly at the glance, feeling as if the man's gaze was piercing his soul. Yeah, it was rather over dramatic, but he did feel that way. Seriously, when parents look at you like that, you know shit's about to hit the fan, "Where were you yesterday until past midnight?"

Natsu coughed into his fist before furrowing his eyebrows. He had no idea how to handle this situation because, after all, with his old man, handling your words wrongly meant a bomb called house arrest was about to blow. Twenty-one years old and still susceptible to house arrest; pathetic, isn't it? Natsu sighed, figuring he couldn't come up with a decent lie anyway so he'd just spill the beans, "I am sorry, father, yesterday I was at a… public event." He said for lack of a better word.

"What kind of public event?" Isaac's emotionless voice rung out once more, causing Natsu to cringe slightly.

"A concert." Natsu admitted, making the red haired man sigh. Natsu bit his lip, '_Here comes the 'I'm disappointed in you' speech. God damn it._' He thought in annoyance and could feel a slight sting of regret in his heart. Did he regret going to Phantom's gig? Hell no. Did he regret letting his father down? Mildly.

"Natsu, if I told you once I've told you a thousand times. You should stop wasting your life away on such meaningless activities and focus on your studies." The man said, making the pinkette groan in annoyance… in his mind, of course, "Take your friend Gray as an example. He's doing his best to succeed in life, whereas you are only wasting your time with this."

The pinkette had to resist the urge to facepalm, '_Really? Take an example from 'Shit for luck Gray'? Give me a break. He was with me at the damned live!_' He thought inwardly, fighting the urge to actually voice his thoughts as best he could. This was why he hated talking to his father; the man never understood him and their conversations usually ended with a fuming Natsu who could barely watch what he said anymore, "Father, you must realize that there are many people in the music industry who have a much bigger capital than we do."

Isaac turned around and shook his head with a sigh, his sharp brown eyes focusing on the pinkette, "That's not the point, Natsu. Musicians are filthy, uneducated, ill-mannered and ill-tempered. Most of them have drug addictions as well and most of them are trash that isn't worth being a part of society." He stated angrily, making the pinkette's eyes narrow at the older man. Both men glared at each other for what seemed like hours to Natsu, but he never let the strength leave him. No, this time his father crossed the line. The younger man knew that he wasn't talking about musicians in general but about his brother; his own twin brother and Natsu's uncle.

Natsu grit his teeth before nodding, "Fine, _father._" He said, emphasizing the word as much as possible, "It is still quite early in the morning but I will go study to make up for yesterday."

The older man nodded, his eyes still fixated on the pinkette's defiant onyx orbs, "Good. I expect to see results from you in the future, Natsu."

'_Pssh, yeah, go to hell._' The pinkette thought as he stomped towards the study's exit and slammed the door behind him with a thud, not caring about his father's reaction to the action. He glanced to the side where he noticed a rather surprised Mathias staring at him, "Hey, thanks for lending me these." Natsu said before taking the slippers off and giving them to the black haired butler.

"You are welcome, Natsu." The man said, causing the pinkette to smirk at his quick memory, "I take it things went bad?" The butler inquired and the pink haired man only groaned in response.

"Yeah. I swear to God, for all this wealth and shit, having an old man like that is a pain in the ass…" He complained while rubbing the back of his head, "Anyway, I'm off to my room. Talk to you later." Natsu said and the older man nodded in response before they parted ways. The pinkette stomped through the many corridors once again, literally fuming in anger. His brain didn't think, he was acting on impulse now. He wasn't going to study, hell no, he needed to get out of this place as fast as he could.

As he was near his room, he saw the door open to reveal Kaya leaving, "I've placed your breakfast on your desk. Anything else?" She asked while watching the pinkette curiously, "Is something wrong?" She inquired upon noticing the rather annoyed expression Natsu's face bore.

"The usual." Natsu said dryly, causing the woman to chuckle at his expense, "Anyway, thanks for the food. I'm going to head out right after, can you cover for me?"

"Where?" The black haired woman asked, her eyes narrowing rather dangerously.

He scratched the back of his head in response, "I dunno; anywhere. I need to get out of this place before I bust a wall down." The pink haired man explained while slowly opening the door to his room. He glanced at her and waited for a response.

"Okay, fine. Just don't take too long. You don't want me to get fired, do you?" Kaya asked with a chuckle, causing the pinkette to smile in her direction.

"No, of course not. What the hell would I do if you weren't around? I'd probably die from an overdose of studying, if something like that is even possible." He said and entered his room.

"Then be sure your father doesn't see you leaving." The woman said and Natsu nodded before she closed his room's door. Natsu walked over to his desk and searched for his phone. He groaned when he remembered that his phone was still on the ground from when he woke up. He jumped on his bed and stretched his arm out to the side, grasping the phone. He pressed a few buttons on the touchscreen before placing the device to his ear.

After a few moments of ringing the person Natsu was calling finally picked up. An audible yawn reverberated through his phone's receiver, making the pinkette chuckle, "You still half asleep?"

"Dude, I haven't slept yet, what the fuck do you think?" Gray's voice rung out from his phone, obvious annoyance in his words.

"Yeah, well, whatever. You want to go somewhere?"

"Huh? Where?"

Natsu facepalmed, "Why the hell does everybody keep asking that? I don't know, anywhere, do we really need a destination or something?"

"Whoa, whoa, chill. The fuck happened?" The man asked, obviously surprised by Natsu's slight yet sudden outburst.

"My old man happened." Natsu growled in annoyance, "Whatever, I'll tell you later. So anyway, you want to go somewhere or not?" He asked and could hear the brunette yawning once more. Damn did he yawn a whole lot.

"Fine, just give me a few minutes to get ready." Gray answered, causing a smirk to appear on the pinkette's features.

"Great. Center's okay with you?" Natsu asked, enthusiasm almost literally dripping from his voice.

"Yeah." The man on the other end of the line answered plainly.

"Alright, meet you there in an hour or so."

"Later." Gray answered and Natsu hung up, dropping his hand on his bed tiredly. He stared at his ceiling yet again, feeling as if whole hours flew by. He was lost in his thoughts, trying to comprehend why his father hated everything related to music so much. No, why he hated music was obvious, but why did he want to control the whole entirety of his son's life was a mystery to him. He shook his head, pushing those thoughts away for the time being as he leaned up and got to his dresser. He opened it and saw a black electric guitar placed neatly inside; a hiding place so his father wouldn't bitch about it so much.

Natsu took the guitar out of the dresser and went to his bed. He placed it on his lap and ran his fingers through the strings, smiling in content when hearing the beautiful sounds it made, '_I can't believe father would say something like that._' He thought with a scowl at the remembrance of Isaac's words, '_Bah, whatever. He can say whatever the hell he wants, I'm still going to be taking your guitar with me today, uncle._'

Natsu coughed a few times before focusing on his guitar. He started playing some notes before getting into it and playing the very first song he ever wrote but never finished. More specifically, the song that his uncle helped him write but, after his passing, Natsu never managed to finish it. As the notes went on, Natsu inhaled deeply before allowing himself to sing the lyrics from his memory.

_We're living in a desperate time; our only hope is believing there's another side.  
To all we've known, the truth hidden before our eyes.  
A vision of a life beyond our view, If only we can see it through._

Kaya stood outside Natsu's door, figuring that the pinkette would start playing just after returning to his room. She smiled wholeheartedly when she heard the guitar strings being strummed and Natsu's voice echoing inside his room. She glued her ears to the door and couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that she wasn't alone; about five other workers had gathered to listen to the music Natsu knew how to play and create. Her smile grew even more at the fact that everyone had a smile on their faces as well, obviously enjoying the song, '_You're gathering a fan base already, Natsu._'

Natsu couldn't help but remember his uncle while playing the song that he helped write. He remembered the days when his uncle taught him how to play the guitar, how he taught him to know every single note possible. Hell, he even remembered meeting the man's old band. He was more of a father to him than Isaac ever was.

_So reach to the sky, the life we have has come.  
This part of our lives, we've only just begun.  
Together we are bright as the stars, we're a light that will never die.  
This is the moment we come alive._

The pinkette continued replaying the last part with his guitar even though the lyrics he had known had ended. He scowled, regretting the fact that only one part of this song could be finished with the time he and his uncle had. He sighed tiredly before dragging out the guitar case from under his bed and placing the guitar inside carefully.

He didn't know why, maybe it was the dream, the conversation with his father or the remembrance of his uncle, but Natsu had decided on the one and only thing he definitely _had_ to accomplish in his life. If he was ever going to be good enough… no, not if, _when_ he was good and popular enough as a musician, he would definitely finish the song to honor the memory of his uncle, Igneel Dragneel. Be it hell or high water, he would finish it and let the world hear the last words of the man that raised him and had had a hand in creating Natsu's very first song.


	3. Third Verse: A Harmonious Resemblance

**_A/N:_**_ Too long, way too long. It's five AM, I'm almost dying from the abundance of caffeine in my system, but I did it. I actually wrote something. Yeehaw. Wait, did I just... Nevermind. Anyway, this chapter is a little shorter than the previous ones simply 'cause this was supposed to be a part of the second one. Yeah, I got lazy and split it in half. Woohoo right?_

* * *

_**Song of the Crimson Lotus**_

* * *

**_Third Verse: A Harmonious Resemblance_**

* * *

A loud groan reverberated through one of the many empty aisles of the grocery store Erza was working at. She grumbled something incoherent as she leaned back and stretched her back, humming in satisfaction at the few pops coming from her already tired body. The redhead sighed in exasperation as she looked around at the amount of cleaning she had to do. Though, she couldn't really complain; with the state of the economy today, it was hard enough to find a job as it is, but that didn't mean she couldn't drive her boss crazy. If the old woman didn't do that to her first, that is.

"Seriously, this place sucks some major ass." The woman growled out, not minding the fact that the few individuals who were present in the convenience store actually heard what she said and started giving her sideways glances. She leaned back down and grabbed the rag she used to clean the store's floor, throwing it into the bucket of water next to her rather unceremoniously. Erza grabbed the bucket and took it to the cleaner's corner in the workers' only area and dropped it down before grabbing a mop and another bucket of water before walking back out. She started cleaning the floor as multiple thoughts assaulted her mind, thoughts that she hated overthinking but couldn't really help it.

A freaking vocalist; was that too much to ask for? A vocalist that would be at least mildly talented so she and her band could mold him into something close to _his _level. That was all she ever asked for. Now, Erza would've just searched for the piece her band needed, but no, Laxus, of course, wouldn't have any of that. He quite literally made Erza find a job so she could actually make a living just in case her dream didn't work out; not that she could actually make a life working at this place, the salary was atrocious. It was bad to the point that she had to share an apartment with Cobra, a member of her band. Well, truthfully, she had been sharing the apartment for a year already simply because it was cheaper that way, but she could still bitch about it, right?

The red haired woman sighed and rubbed the back of her head lazily, figuring that there was some truth to Laxus's words and that she really did need a back-up plan just in case things didn't work out as she wanted them to. She continued cleaning up the store, sweeping with the mop back and forth, occasionally dowsing it in water and continuing the pattern before she heard voices coming from behind her. The redhead turned around and saw three people walking along the aisles of merchandise. One was a girl, around nineteen years old, she guessed; she had long straight blonde hair that went downwards towards her back in multiple long strands, the front of her face being framed by two long strands of hair and multiple bangs covered her forehead and her large brown eyes.

"Come on, it can't be that hard, can it?" The blonde asked, a smile covering her features as she turned back towards a raven haired man who sighed and rubbed the back of his head. His black hair was spiked up in every direction with the exception of a few strands of hair falling on his forehead, his sharp dark blue eyes staring at the blonde lazily.

"Lucy, you have no idea. Sheesh, I think the professor might have a hard on for me and not the good kind." He said, causing both the blonde and the eavesdropping redhead to sweatdrop at his words. A noticeable chuckle was heard from behind them, causing the blonde and the brunette to look backwards where a guy with spiky pink hair was staring at them curiously, a guitar case strapped to his back. Erza could have sworn she had seen him somewhere else before.

"Gee, you two are perfect for each other." The pinkette said with a sly grin which resulted in a blush spreading across the blonde's, now known as Lucy, face. The black haired guy's reaction was slightly different; his eyes widened in surprise at the comment before narrowing. He grabbed the pink haired guy's collar and got into his face.

"We do _not_ look perfect for each other you jackass!" The brunette screamed in his face loudly enough so that the whole shop probably heard. Wow, so defensive.

"Oh come on Gray, you're making Lucy sad!" He replied while pointing his finger at the blonde. Erza saw her from the corner of her eye and could barely suppress a laugh; Lucy had quite literally frowned at Gray's comment, "And wow, so defensive, geez."

The red haired woman smirked at the last comment; this guy was good, good enough to make her laugh. Erza chuckled at the man known as Gray's expense when he noticed the blonde's change in mood. He tried telling her that he didn't mean what he said but that didn't really work seeing as how a sort of depressed aura took over her. Hormones. Hormones and women. Doesn't that just sound ironic coming from a woman's own thoughts?

"Natsu, you really should shut up once in a while." Gray groaned in annoyance as he glared almost literal holes in the pinkette.

Natsu grinned, "Hey, if I don't call it out, who will? I mean, that's what bros are there for, right? But… wait, I shouldn't have said that aloud. Or did I do something good? Well, technically, me actually confirming both of your, uhh… how do you call them again? Feelings? Yeah, feelings. Me confirming both of your feelings might actually push your 'relationship' at least a single step forward which might, just _might_ save me from having to read both of your messages every fuckin' night and curse my own life until _five AM_ afterwards because I can't sleep from the pure and utter _bullshit_ that I read from you two… I think I should shut up now." He said with a sweatdrop when he noticed the deadly auras emanating from the two in question.

Erza couldn't keep her cool now, she just couldn't. She laughed her lungs out, albeit quietly so the three couldn't hear as she covered her mouth with her hand and tried to keep a tear from escaping her eyes.

This Natsu person was such a friggin' smartass.

Lucy sighed tiredly before placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder, "Come on Gray, he isn't worth it." She said, effectively calming the man down before the both of them turned around and walked towards the other direction.

The pink haired man pouted, "Aw, come on. You two show each other so much affection and can't spare some for me? Really? I want in on some hot business!" He said, mentally facepalming at his own words but he still couldn't resist messing with those two.

"Dude, that's disgusting. She's your cousin for fuck's sake." Gray said with a sideways glance toward the pinkette.

"Heh, you said fuck, hehehe." The pinkette teased, causing Gray to facepalm.

"I don't even care anymore." The raven haired man said as he continued on his way towards the alcohol aisle, which Erza found disturbingly amusing, "Fuckface." He added, making Natsu laugh loudly.

"Okay, this requires a change of topics." Natsu said in between chuckles before he redirected Gray from the alcohol aisle to some other one, "What was your favorite song yesterday?"

Gray hummed and scratched his chin at the question, "I'd say… Tendencies?"

The pink haired man smirked, "There's a black flag hanging over this town, huh? That song's friggin' awesome." He commented and the brunette nodded in affirmation, "Mine would probably be The One."

"The one Sting wrote and performed by himself, right?" Gray asked and Natsu nodded before grinning.

"I'll burn a hole through your cross. My soul's already lost. And it's funny 'cuz they're sayin' "He's hot."" The pinkette rapped the lyrics from the song he remembered so well before he and the other fist bumped; or rather, 'brofisted.'

"Boys." Lucy said with a shake of her head, causing Natsu to narrow his eyes at her before a sly grin spread across his face.

"What, you didn't like that?" He asked as he grabbed Gray's arm and rolled his sleeve up, "Just look at these muscles! You know you find them hot! I mean, shit, even I do, no homo, so I can't even imagine how _happy_ you get while _thinking_ of him and these uber biceps, if you know what I mean. He'd do you right, y'know? Wait… dude, is it just me or is your right arm's bicep larger than your left's? Jesus, just look at…" He was cut off when the brunette smacked him atop the head and simply walked off, Lucy following soon after. Natsu groaned over dramatically, "Sheesh, can't even take a simple _innocent_ joke." The man said while rubbing the place which got hit before following after the two others.

Erza stared dumbly at the three walking off, finding it unnaturally amusing how the pinkette was annoying the crap out of the other two. Noticing the dirty footprints their footwear left, Erza narrowed her eyes towards the exit of the shop, mentally cursing the weather for being so cold and snowy. Seriously, how much can one scrub friggin' dirt off of a convenience store's floor? This was ridiculous.

After a few seconds, the redhead finally realized where she'd seen the pinkette before. He was quite obviously the one she bumped into during Phantom's concert. The woman couldn't really put her finger on the question as to why she actually remembered him since she didn't usually remember random people like that but she decided to not pay it any mind. She dowsed the mop she held into the bucket of water before neatly scrubbing away the imprints that were left. While doing so, she apparently followed the three and continued eavesdropping on them. She wasn't doing it on purpose, oh no, it just so happened that she had to clean their footprints and, in turn, she had to listen to what they were talking about because she couldn't stay unfocused while working. Nope, she was definitely not following them because she was bored.

"So how's stuff with your old man?" Erza heard the brunette ask and couldn't help but notice the way Natsu's expression changed from the carefree one he had before to a mixture of an annoyed and tired one.

"Dude, you have no idea; the guy's driving me crazy." The pinkette said tiredly while running a hand down his face, "I swear to God, that geezer probably thinks that I'm his doll or something." He said, making Erza quirk an eyebrow, '_Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Shit like _that_ actually happens?_'

"…The way you said that sounded seriously fucked up." Gray said while staring awkwardly at the pink haired man and the redhead nodded mentally. Seriously, the image managed to creep her the fuck out.

"I know right? Wait… Did you just…" Natsu facepalmed, "I didn't mean it like _that _you dumbass!" He shouted, "I meant it as in he's controlling my life way too much. I've told you this before, haven't I?"

"It can't be that bad. At least you have a future ahead of you." Lucy said, butting into the conversation, making the man in question stare at her dumbly.

"Yeah, a future I don't want." The pinkette said, "I mean, sure, law is nice and all but that's not what I want. Besides, it's so fuckin' hard to study it. The way those professors do stuff it seems that they want to shove that 'knowledge' down my throat and get their money. And fifty hours per week of pure studying? Dude, that's… difficult."

The red haired woman clicked her tongue in annoyance, finding the people she was 'following' getting less and less interesting by the moment. She quickly scraped off what footprints were left near her, hearing the words 'first world problems' and 'fuck off' being said before accidentally bumping a can of soda over, causing it to fall to the floor and crack before splattering its contents all over the ground. Erza noticed that that had caught the three's attention and, obviously, the one who was pissing her off the most just had to be the one to talk to her.

"Hey, you alright?" Natsu asked as he picked up the now empty cracked soda can and placed it forward for the redhead to take it. You know, since she's the janitor and all.

"I'm fine, piss off." Erza growled out, not even bothering to grace the pink haired man with something as simple as a glance. She quickly dowsed her mop in the water situated in the bucket before cleaning the spilled soda and placing the mop back into the bucket. She hastily picked her tools up and simply walked away towards the workers' only area.

"What the hell's her problem?" Gray asked as he stepped forward and looked at Natsu who only shrugged as a response.

"Who knows? Women." The man said as he observed the empty soda can in his hand rather curiously, "Though, I feel like I've seen her before…" He trailed off, wracking his brain, trying to remember something that was literally in front of his face but felt unreachable. Yeah, memories do that to you and that annoyed the crap out of him.

"Come on guys! Let's go to that café already." Lucy's voice caught the attention of the two, making them turn to her direction.

"Why the hell did we come here if we're going to a café anyway?" Natsu asked, not really seeing the point of going to a convenience store if they'd be going somewhere else to get food and coffee and stuff like that.

The brunette standing next to him facepalmed loud enough that the sound actually reverberated through the store, "You wanted a donut, remember?"

"Oh… right."

* * *

Erza smashed the door to the changing room open and stomped inside, pushing the door closed behind her with a thud. She stomped towards the nearest mirror and huffed at the fact that her hair was so messy from all the moisture she had been exposed to. Great, another half an hour to take care of her hair.

'_Fuck it, I'll fix it later._' She thought as she opened her locker and searched for something inside her black leather jacket's inner pockets, finding a pack of cigarettes and a lighter moments later. The redhead closed her locker loudly and locked it before storming out of the changing room.

She wasn't pissed, no; she was annoyed. Erza was annoyed at the fact that the guy named Natsu actually thought his life was hard. He had absolutely no idea what a _hard_ life was and he jumped to conclusions. Judging from his fancy clothing and the fact that multiple professors taught him for fifty hours per week meant that he was quite obviously loaded. How could a stuck-up smartass rich kid know what a hard life was?

She grew up on the streets, she was almost subjugated to rape – multiple times – and she watched the only person who she could call a parent die in front of her eyes. Yet, despite all of this, she never once bitched about her life being hard or whatever the fuck else. This annoyed her and she realized that if she didn't stop thinking about it she would eventually get pissed off.

"Erza, get back to work." The redhead heard an older female's stern voice which almost made her cringe, '_Great, not this again._' She thought in annoyance.

"I will, I need a five minute break." The red haired woman said, preferring not to get into yet another argument with her employer and figuring she should just keep moving.

"The store doesn't need a five minute break." The voice boomed yet again, causing the younger woman to groan over dramatically before turning to glare at the older woman. She was obviously short, had short grey hair and her face was littered with wrinkles. Yup, a typical old woman, "You need to work. What am I paying you for?"

"Yes, yes, I know. I just need to smoke a cigarette, that's all!" Erza defended. Oh how she hated Laxus right now for that 'pep-talk' about how she should not argue with her boss so she doesn't get fired yet again. Seriously, why did she agree to do that just as the most annoying employer ever comes and pops up out of nowhere?

"This store does not promote smoking." Erza's employer said with the same stern tone from before. Erza found her words ironic seeing as how there's tobacco and similar stuff available to purchase in there but figured she shouldn't mention it. She couldn't lie though; she really did want to punch this granny in the face.

"…Whatever. I'll be back in a few minutes." The redhead simply declared before turning on her heel and storming off, ignoring the angry shouts of the store's owner. When in doubt, don't tell them to fuck off, make them know you wanted to say that by your actions. '_That didn't even make any sense._'

The red haired woman continued on her way towards the exit of the store, ignoring the stares other workers were giving her. She seriously did need to find that vocalist so she could quit this job already.

* * *

Natsu laughed loudly as he exited the store, completely oblivious to the stares people were giving him. He looked behind him and noticed both Lucy and Gray blushing madly. Yeah, he really did like messing with them, "So, am I right?"

"Natsu, seriously, shut up." Gray said, clearly annoyed by the pinkette's antics.

He coughed into his fist, suppressing his laughter as best he could, "Okay, I will cease all humorous activities for the time being if that's what you wish for!"

"…The hell was that?" Both the brunette and the blonde asked in unison, causing Natsu to simply shrug at the question.

The three walked out of the shop's premises and made their way to the café before the pink haired man stopped after noticing something. A boy, around seven years old with mildly long spiky brown hair and golden eyes which almost seemed slit, giving him a sort of feline appearance. Natsu noticed that the boy was calming down two younger girls who were with him, probably his siblings if he went by their appearance. The girls were twins, both having long brown hair and the same golden eyes the boy had. Both of them were crying and the boy was giving it his best to calm them down but it was almost obvious that he was just about to cry as well.

"Guys, wait a sec." Natsu called Gray and Lucy who were walking in front of him, "See those kids right there?"

"Yeah… why?" Gray asked, causing the pink haired man to facepalm.

"No, really? You ask why?" He sighed, "I'm going to check if they're lost or something."

"Yeah, I bet they'll just think you're a pedo." Gray remarked, causing Natsu to flip him off while walking in the kids' direction.

"Hey, uhh… you three alright?" The pinkette asked as he neared the kids, making the eldest sibling glance at him curiously.

"Who are you?" The boy asked, causing Natsu to smile slightly as he crouched down so he could be at eye level with the boy.

"I'm Natsu, nice to meet you."

The kid hesitated for a few moments before meeting Natsu's black eyes, "T-Train…" He said slowly before motioning to the younger girls, "These are my sisters, Jade and Amelia…"

The older man chuckled slightly at the sight of the sisters hiding behind Train's back. He turned his eyes back to the boy's, "Where are your parents?"

"We… we don't know. Jade said she had lost her bracelet and ran off with Amelia to find it. I tried to stop them and we ended up separated from them." The young boy explained, sniffing a few times as tears almost threatened to escape his eyes.

"Huh." Natsu scratched his temples in thought, trying to figure out what to do with these kids.

"So what happened?" The pinkette heard Gray's voice from behind him and stood up before stretching his back.

"Well, the kids got separated from their parents and I've no idea where they are. What do you suppose we do?"

"Mister Natsu… who are these people?" Train asked as he stared at Lucy and Gray.

"Oh, these two? Lucy and Gray." He said before what seemed as an umpteenth sly grin spread across his face, "They're going to be married in like a month or so considering that they're so slow."

The brown haired boy continued to look at the blonde and brunette, not really understanding why the two just blushed and were glaring at Natsu, "Nice to meet you and congratulations." The boy said simply, causing Natsu's grin to widen.

"T-Thank you…" Lucy replied, figuring it best not to confuse the kid any further. She nudged Gray in the elbow as a saying that he should just roll with it too.

"Yeah, thanks." The raven haired man said, the glare he set on the pink haired man still in place and it was just intensifying with each passing second.

"Hey, how long have you kids been out here?" Lucy asked as she crouched down as well, watching the children with worry in her eyes.

"About ten minutes… I don't really know." Train admitted, "But we're lost."

"What do you think?" Gray asked Natsu who stretched out his neck, causing it to pop a few times before he reached into the bag he bought and took out the only donut he had.

"Here, you're hungry and cold, right? This is still warm." The pinkette said as he handed Train the donut which he took almost instantly. Natsu smiled when the boy thanked him and divided the food into three halves, his smile only widening when he realized that the boy had purposely made the two pieces he gave to his sisters larger than what he left for himself. It was times like these where Natsy wished he had siblings. The pinkette turned back to Gray, "Well, they've only been gone for ten minutes and I bet their parents are scouring the surface of the planet trying to find them. Let's just stay here for a little while 'till their parents come around." The man suggested and the brunette nodded in affirmation.

Natsu looked to the side and grinned, "I've got an idea." He said as he walked towards a nearby bench and wiped the snow off of it before sitting down. He flung the guitar case over his shoulder before opening it and taking his guitar out. He met the curious glances of the people surrounding him, his grin only widening, "So… shall we?"

* * *

"God damn it, that woman is such a bitch!" Erza complained aloud as she lit her cigarette and inhaled deeply. She breathed out a puff of smoke while she stared at the cloudy sky, mentally cursing the weather for being so cold and snowy… again. Suddenly, the redhead was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard something that caught her interest; the playing of a guitar. And she had to admit, the one playing it was good at it, although a little crazy to be playing outside in this time of the year.

Turning her gaze to the side, her brown eyes widened at the sight of who was playing it. She saw the same person from the convenience store, Natsu, sitting on a bench, playing a song of which the notes she knew by heart and it seemed as if the person playing knew them too, as well as the lyrics. The pinkette was smiling as he played through the impromptu beginning before finally reaching the vocal part.

_I'm just the boy inside the man, not exactly who you think I am.  
Trying to trace my steps back here again, so many times.  
I'm just a speck inside your head, you came and made me who I am.  
I remember where it all began, so clearly._

The red haired woman simply stared at the musician, taken aback by what she was hearing. She was dumbfounded, to keep it simple. The way he was singing… it matched his playing perfectly. The harmony between the notes and his voice was almost perfect.

_I feel a million miles away, still you connect me in your way.  
And you created me, something I would've never seen.  
When I can only see the floor, you made my window a door.  
So when they say they don't believe, I hope that they see you and me._

Erza kept staring. She simply kept staring. If you could call this being in shock, that wouldn't be too inaccurate. She noticed the three kids standing next to him, staring at him with shining eyes as if he was some superhero. The redhead also noticed the two people that were with him, Lucy and Gray staring at him with sincere smiles on their faces, their expressions saying that they have heard him playing for over a thousand times already but it never once bored them. She wasn't surprised if that was the case either.

_After all the lights go down, I'm just the words you are the sound.  
A strange type of chemistry, how you've become a part of me.  
And when I sit alone at night, your thoughts burn through me like a fire.  
You're the only one who knows, who I really am._

As Natsu kept playing Eclipse's song, multiple people had gathered around him, each and every one of them watching him, some with mild, others with major surprise and interest. It would've been too cheesy and way too far-fetched but she could actually say that he was mesmerizing them. And she wouldn't be lying if she said he wasn't doing the same to her. His singing was good; beautiful, dare she say.

W_e all wanna be somebody, we just need a taste of who we are.  
We all wanna be somebody, we're willing to go but not that far._

The pinkette continued with the song until he reached the very end. He opened his eyes when it ended and he was obviously shocked to see that some people had gathered to listen to him. The man gave each and every person his thanks before two people stepped forward and hugged the three kids that were there with the pinkette; their parents, Erza guessed. She watched as the two newly arrivals gave their thanks to Natsu and his friends before one of the kids, a boy, stepped forward. Natsu grinned before crouching down and bumping fists with him before the groups of people left on their ways.

The redhead kept watching the retreating figures of the people, too dumbfounded to actually realize what had happened. A few moments later she was finally out of her daze and rushed towards where the pinkette was last seen. Erza cursed under her breath as Natsu was nowhere to be found, '_Damn it, I should have asked him to be the vocalist in the band!_' She thought, berating herself for quite literally being mesmerized by what she had just heard.

Playing Eclipse's song… It just fit so well with his voice. The song Igneel Dragneel had created for the one person he loved. The harmony of his voice and the lyrics combined with the playing of his guitar almost seemed as if the late Igneel was playing this himself, the resemblance was uncanny.

The woman threw away what was left of her cigarette before clenching her fist. This guy… she found him interesting when she saw him in the convenience store and now she heard him play. Scratch the part she found annoying about him and he'd be the perfect fit for her band. She'd have to find him and ask him if he wanted to join; force him if he didn't.

There was just one problem: who the hell was he?


End file.
